


Into The Unknown

by martls



Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, M/M, Number Neighbours
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:55:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21644041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/martls/pseuds/martls
Summary: /!\ ON HOLD : WILL EDIT LATER /!\Isak is staring at his screen, more confused than ever. He just got a text, and for a second, he was persuaded that it was from his own phone number, but it doesn’t make any sense. When he opens the message and read it, he has to look up the definition of Number Neighbour.OR the alternate universe where Isak and Even are number neighbours.
Relationships: Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen
Comments: 18
Kudos: 66





	1. ONE

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO <3 
> 
> You really thought I wasn't going to post something new, uh?  
> Here are some news for you: my life is boring, and I felt empty yesterday because I didn't know what to do now that my other story was over. 
> 
> So let's all buckle our seat belts for this other crazy adventure that is Isak and Even's tumultuous story! 
> 
> Not sure how many chapters there will be exactly, or when/if I'll update regularly, buuuuut I really hope you'll like this first chapter. 
> 
> Title from Frozen 2 (obviously) 
> 
> xx

When Isak wakes up on Saturday morning, his head is hammering and his mouth is as dry as the desert. Last night was way more hardcore than what he had planned, or maybe he’s not as used to be drinking as many beers than he was at seventeen. He reaches for his phone on the bedside table to look at the time and notices he has a new message. He puts the phone down, not awake enough to care about it, but he has to double check his phone, squinting at the screen in utter confusion. 

The message itself isn’t so confusing, because Isak has a lot of friends and they know Isak never pick up the phone so if they want to join him, they better send him text messages. 

No, what is troubling him is the fact that the message comes from his own number.

He’s still drunk. That must be it. 

There is no other explanation to this nonsense. 

Isak decides to open his messages app, even though the light of the screen is piercing the back of his eyes like knitting needles. If he first thought that the number was confusing, the two small lines leave him even more puzzled. 

  
  


* * *

**_UNKNOWN NUMBER_ **

_[07:53] “Hi there! I’m your number neighbour, nice to meet you.”_

_[07:54] “If you don’t know what a number neighbour is, you should definitely check it up.”_

* * *

  
  


Isak rubs his eyes with his free hand, hoping his mind will stop playing him tricks, but nope. The messages are still there, and the phone number exactly the same as his. Or, at least, he thinks. This is so confusing. Isak quits the conversation and opens Safari, typing in the search bar ‘number neighbour’ and waiting for the results to appear. He reads the definition of it and a few articles about it online. What he learns from it is that the person who texted him has the same phone number as him, except for the last digit, and—it makes so much more sense now. Though, Isak is concerned as to why would a stranger text him if they don’t know each other, and he’s sincerely hoping the other person isn’t going to post their exchange on Twitter. 

If he replies, that is. 

Isak isn’t sure he wants to. He doesn’t know the other person, doesn’t want to. Maybe it’s a thirteen years old kid with a new iPhone who wants to follow the trend on Twitter, or a single mom of three who’s bored with her life and needs something to make her day less monotone. 

Isak puts his phone back on the nightstand and turns on his side, trying to fall back asleep. But after a few minutes, his head is still hammering and his bladder is just about to explode, so he gets up grumpily and goes to the bathroom. He feels like his whole body is sore, his knees a bit wobbly and he has difficulty to walk straight. But when he finally sits on the toilet and relieves his bladder, his mind keeps thinking of the weird messages he got. 

  
  


***

  
  


On Monday, Isak walks into the pharmacy’s back store with his best friend, talking about the text messages he received when he woke up on Saturday. It’s been two days, and Isak still hasn’t replied to the stranger’s messages. Instead, he spent his entire week-end looking up at memes and viral trends on the internet, unimpressed and concerned about the society’s intellectual quotient. 

Jonas is pouring coffee in two cups, listening to Isak ramble about the stupidity of viral trends, or challenges, or even memes. Isak doesn’t understand memes. Maybe he’s too old for this bullshit, or maybe he’s just too focused on his job to care about anything else. 

“I can’t believe you don’t know what a meme is.” Jonas says after a while. 

“No, I know what a meme is.” Isak scoffs. “I just don’t get the hype around it.” 

“It’s meant to be funny, nothing else.” Jonas shrugs, handing one cup to Isak. “You don’t have to get it, it’s just… It’s funny, that is all.” 

“But like, what’s so funny about an egg? It’s just a fucking picture of an egg!” 

Isak takes the mug from Jonas’ hands and picks out his phone from his pocket to show his best friend the picture of an egg who’s going viral since a few months. Apparently, the egg is now more popular than Kylie Jenner, not that Isak knows much about her either. Of course, he knows who she is, but he really couldn’t care less about the whole Kardashian family. But the amount of people who are willing to waste their time and like a picture of a simple egg is mesmerizing and completely stupid, in Isak’s mind. 

Jonas takes a sip of his coffee and shakes his head, resting against the counter top of the kitchenette in the employees’ break room.

“You don’t have to show me the picture, I know what meme you’re talking about.” 

“How come you know so much about memes and I don’t?” Isak asks, a little dumbfounded. 

“Twitter, mostly. But there are some great ones on 9GAG and Reddit, too.” 

Isak puts on his white lab coat and walks out of the break room, following Jonas. They walk to the counter and stand at their respective desks, and Isak can’t believe his best friends knew what memes were for so long and never thought of sharing them with him. 

Or maybe he did, and Isak just didn’t care at that time. That would be a plausible situation too. 

Isak takes a sip of coffee and sets his cup aside to concentrate on his job. He has a lot of prescriptions to do today, and he can’t fuck these up. He logs onto his computer and looks at the first one he needs to do, frowning to himself. 

Mrs. Osberg wants her new prescription ready for two in the afternoon, but her doctor didn’t renew the authorization. He’s going to have to make a few calls to make sure everything is ok and that Mrs. Osberg won’t scream at him like the last time she came in here. 

  
  


***

  
  


On Thursday night, Isak is supposed to have dinner with a guy his friend Eskild set him up with. He’s really not in the mood to flirt, and he hasn’t had the occasion to go to a hairdresser in months, but he’s really tired after his day, and can’t say no to restaurant. Tom, his boss sent him to an important meeting in Stockholm the day before, and Isak only came back a few hours before his date. He’s too lazy to cook, and maybe the other man will understand if Isak is too tired and can’t stay too long after dinner. He only had the time to go back home, unpack his bag and change clothes before running to the tram station.

When he walks into the restaurant, he’s greeted by a waitress who walks him to a table for two in a quiet area of the restaurant. Isak is surprised he’s the first one arrived, but savours the two minutes alone to analyze the menu. 

“Hi, Isak?” A voice comes from above him. 

Isak looks up at the man, a light brown haired guy with a few days worth of stubbles. His eyes are a cold shade of grey that fits his turtleneck, and his smile is hesitant. The man looks older than Isak, maybe in his early thirties, but he looks fit for his age and Isak can definitely say he’s an attractive man. Unfortunately, Isak prefers blonde guy than brown haired ones, but he tries not to have one foot outside the door already. Isak nods and stands up awkwardly, knocking his left knee on the table. 

“Hi, yes. I’m Isak. Nice to meet you…?”

“Nils.” The man replies with a handshake. 

They shake hands and smiles to each other far too quickly, and Isak sits back down on his chair and opens his menu. Nils do the same, though his eyes land on Isak more often than they do on the menu. Once the waitress has explained the specialities on the menu and they have ordered what they want to eat, Nils puts his elbow on the table and rests his head in one hand. 

“So Eskild said you haven’t been in a relationship since college?” Nils asks. 

“Yeah, I’m kind of too busy with my job to have the time to date, I think.” 

“You’re a pharmacist, right?” 

“Yes. And you’re a librarian, from what Eskild told me.” 

“That’s right.” 

Nils have the typical look of a librarian, in Isak’s mind. Long brown hair, round glasses perched up on his nose, a turtleneck and a constant pensive look on his face. Add a few books in his arms and a scarf around his neck, and the picture would be complete. And, to be honest, Isak has absolutely no idea how Eskild could’ve landed on this guy. He has nothing in common with him or Isak, and Isak isn’t sure where this date is going.

“It’s pretty impressive, how you could find a job in the field that you wanted right after university. Most people have to wait a year or two before having a permanent status.” Nils comments, drinking from his glass of water. 

“Yes, I’m pretty lucky. I had a few contacts here and there, and my grades were really good, so that helped.” Isak says. “What about you?” 

“What do you want to know?” 

“Any big dreams, or plans? I don’t know. I’m not really good with small talk.” Isak shrugs. 

The waitress comes back a few minutes later with their appetizers. Nils and Isak keeps talking and asking questions throughout the dinner, and even though it was a bit awkward at first, Isak finds himself smiling genuinely to the man when they walk outside the restaurant. 

Nils insisted on paying for him, even though Isak has a bigger salary than him. It’s late September, and nights are starting to get more chilly at this time of the year. Isak shivers as the fresh air of the night hits him. His date notices and offers him to come back to his place.

“I only live five minutes from here.” He says, pointing in the direction of his place. 

And—Isak tries to think about his options. 

He had a pretty long day. He woke up at six, had brunch with a higher people in the company he works for and other members his boss wanted him to recruit. At two o’clock, he had a plane to catch, and the persons next to him was a young couple with a toddler who wouldn’t stop crying. 

He’s really tired and only wants to go crash into his bed until the next day, but he also had a great time with Nils and still feels bad for letting him pay. Surprising both Nils and himself, he agrees and follows the guy home. 

Nils’ apartment isn’t big, but it’s cozy and Isak feels appealed by it. Most walls in the living room are covered by bookshelves, and paintings. The man has an impressive amount of books, but Isak doesn’t have the time to take it all in before Nils leans into him and starts kissing him softly. Isak is a bit startled, but the feeling is nice. He hasn’t kissed someone in a few months, hasn’t had any sex in years. Hasn’t loved anyone, ever, he thinks. 

Kissing Nils feels warm and comfortable, just like his apartment. Isak lets himself have this moment, and spends the night in Nils’ arms, in Nils’ bed. 

  
  


***

  
  


The next day, when he finally walks into the employees’ break room and sees his best friend, Jonas has already poured him a cup of coffee. He’s tapping on his phone, a wide grin on his lips. Isak clears his throat. 

“Oh, hi!” Jonas greets him. “How was your date?” 

“Good. I just left his place.” Isak admits, his cheeks blushing softly. 

“Damn, that’s great.” Jonas nods in approval, pushing Isak’s cup in front of him. 

They still have a few minutes before they have to go to the front of the shop. Isak tells him about Nils, about the nice dinner and how it felt good to kiss him—and fuck him, too.

“Are you gonna see him again?” Jonas asks, smiling at his best friend. 

“Probably.” Isak smiles back. “We exchanged our phone numbers before I left, and he kissed me again.” 

“Ah, man. That’s cool. If you’re happy, that’s all I want.” Jonas tilts his head and some wild curls bounce. 

Isak takes a sip of coffee and shrugs. He’s not sure if it’ll last long, because Nils and him have completely different schedules and interests, but for now it feels good. It’s not like they’re going to be married in two weeks, he still needs to know more about Nils and find out if they actually are a good match, but Isak dares to hope he won’t stay single for the rest of his life. When Jonas stands up and walks towards the door, Isak gulps down the rest of his coffee and follows him. 

He didn’t give his boss the full report of his trip to Stockholm yet, so he gives Jonas’ shoulder a light pat before walking in the other direction. He takes the elevator to Tom’s office and tries to iron the front of his shirt with his palm while he waits. Maybe he should’ve go home and changed before coming into work, but he’s not too concerned about it. Tom won’t critic him about that, anyway. When the metallic doors open with a ding, Isak is welcomed by Tom’s secretary Eva. 

“Hei Isak!” The red hair girl cheers. “You’re here for Tom?” 

“Hi, Eva. Yes, please.” 

“On it!” Eva says, picking up the phone and pressing a few buttons. “Hi, Tom! Isak’s here.” 

She hangs up after a second and smiles to Isak. 

“You can go in, he’s free.” 

“Thanks Eva.” 

Isak walks past Eva’s desk and into Tom’s office. Isak has been there a few times already, but it still feels impressive and intimidating at the same time. Tom’s desk is in the center of the room, facing the door, and behind the desk are big windows the size of the entire wall. On the two walls on the side, there are cabinets and shelves loaded with folders. Tom is typing something on his computer when Isak walks up to him. 

“Hi, how was the trip?” Tom asks, putting down his reading glasses on the desk. 

“The meeting went well, but the couple next to me on the plane had a baby who cried the whole flight.” Isak informs him. 

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Tom winces apologetically. “Next time, I’ll make sure to book you a seat in business class.” 

“Next time?” Isak frowns.

“Yes, I received a call last night from the guys I wanted you to recruit.” Tom stands up and takes a folder from his cabinet. “They were really impressed by your presentation and are interested to meet you again.” 

Isak’s brows lift up in surprise and his lips part slightly. He watches as Tom walks around his desk to come sit on the edge of it, right in front of Isak, and hands him the folder. On top of it are labels with the logo of the company and the names of the two men his boss wants to recruit. Isak takes it and flips it open to read the first page. It’s a contract, explaining the roles they would occupy and salaries. 

“I’m not sure why you want me to do this?” Isak asks, at loss for words. “I’m not the HR director.” 

“No, but they both liked you very much and I know I can count on you.” Tom smiles proudly at him. 

Isak nods and closes the folder. 

“Anything else?” 

“Not at the moment.” Tom replies. “You can go. I’ll ask Eva to send you all the details about your next trip by email.” 

“Ok. Thank you.” 

Isak stands, shakes Tom’s hand, and walks out the office. He says goodbye to Eva on his way to the elevator and waits for it with a small smile on his face. Tom saying him he trusts Isak with this important task feels incredible. 

  
  


***

  
  


It’s Sunday, and Isak is lazily watching Netflix. Nils is working today, so they can’t meet up, and Jonas is visiting his parents. The series is interesting, but Isak is bored and wishes he could talk to someone. He doesn’t really know who, or what he’d say. Maybe his mother? He hasn’t talked to her in a few days, and he promised to let her know how the trip to Stockholm was. 

Isak is almost falling asleep on his couch when his phone buzzes next to him, startling him awake.

* * *

**_UNKNOWN NUMBER_ **

_[15:24] “So you’re really going to let me on read for a week, uh?”_

* * *

  
  


Isak types in a response quickly, annoyed. 

* * *

**_UNKNOWN NUMBER_ **

_[15:25] “I don’t know you, leave me the fuck alone.”_

_[15:25] “Wow. Rude. Ok.”_

* * *

  
  


Isak sighs heavily and lets his phone fall on the cushion next to him. He’s really pissed at the other person, even though he’s not sure why. He knows he shouldn’t have been so rude to them, but Isak felt attacked by the stranger’s comment. It’s not like he owes them anything, and he doesn’t want to be a part of this twisted trend on Twitter. 

At least, the person doesn’t send any other message, and Isak can watch his series peacefully.


	2. TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm aware this chapter is very short, but I feel like this story will have shorter chapters in general, because there aren't a lot of stuff happening so far??? So... yeah. Anyway, shorter chapters mean more frequent updates, I guess? Who knows!
> 
> I'm not a hundred percent sure where I'm going with all of this, but I hope you'll like it anyway! 
> 
> xx

On Sunday night, before going to sleep, Isak opens Eva’s email to look at all the details about his next business trip. He’s going to leave on Wednesday evening and come back on Friday after lunch. As Isak’s boss promised, his seat is in the business class. Tom has scheduled a meeting with the two men on Thursday for lunch, and Isak doubts it will take longer than the afternoon to talk about the contract and seal the deal. That leaves him all of Thursday night and Friday morning free in Stockholm. 

Isak googles what not to miss in Stockholm, since he’s going to have more free time than the last time he travelled there. He’s almost tempted to ask Tom to extend his stay a day or two longer, so he can visit more of Sweden’s capital. There are a few expositions that seems interesting and the Royal Palace is definitely on top of his list. Isak doesn’t think he’ll be able to visit all the places he wants to in only a day. 

Or, maybe he could plan a trip there when he’ll have a few days off. Isak doesn’t want Tom to think he’s taking advantage of the situation. 

Isak scribbles a note on a post-it and sends an email to Eva, to let her know he had read the document she sent him. 

  
  


***

  
  


On Tuesday night, Nils invites Isak over for dinner and Isak jumps on the occasion. They haven’t seen each other since their first date, and Isak didn’t really have the time or the energy to pursue whatever was between them, but if Nils wanted to see him, he’d gladly take it. 

After work, he takes the tram to Nils’ place. The thought of seeing someone makes Isak feels like he’s in high school again, at the stage where dating someone new is exhilarating and making his heart beat faster. 

Except, it isn’t the case right here. Not really. Sure, he’s excited to meet him again, but he can’t barely remember his face, or the way his lips felt when he kissed him. Isak remembers his hair colour and the way Nils always had to put up his glasses higher on his nose during dinner, but it’s not like he has butterflies in his stomach or anything. And he kind of wishes he could feel that way, because a part of him is tired of being lonely. Isak is almost 28, and he doesn’t want his mom to think he’s too picky or doesn’t want to get into a relationship. It’s just… It’s just that Isak is more of a work-driven person than a relationship-driven one. But that doesn’t mean Isak doesn’t want someone to come home to, after a long day at work, or someone to cuddle at night. Someone to hold his hand during movies and someone to take out to dinner from time to time. Isak wants all of that too, just like his friends. Some of them are already married, one has two kids and a nice house. 

Isak wishes Nils could be it, for him. Someone to come home to. But he’s not sure they really are a good fit, doesn’t feel completely head over heels for him yet. Maybe it’s too soon to assume these kind of things. Isak shouldn’t let his fears and insecurities, or his dedication for his job put a shadow over his relationships. It’s not the first time Eskild tries to push Isak in some guy’s arms. 

When he knocks on Nils’ door, Isak tries to chase away his thoughts. He just wants to have a good time, hopefully a good dinner, and maybe some good sex if things go well. 

  
  


***

  
  


“Thank you very much for your time.” Isak says to the two men in front of him. “I’ll let Tom know of your decision as soon as I land back in Oslo.”

“Thank you for coming all the way here. We’re very glad you could make it. I’m sure we’ll see you again soon.” One of the men says.

Isak gets up and shakes the two men’s hands firmly. 

They talked for hours, and Isak is pretty sure there’s an imprint of his butt on the chair. He can’t wait to go back to his hotel room, because he needs to change clothes before going sightseeing. He planned to visit a museum or two before grabbing dinner in a nice restaurant he’s read good reviews about. 

While he’s in his Uber, he sends a few emails to his boss, Jonas, and his mom. He even sends a quick snap of the front of the first museum he’s visiting to Nils, since things seemed to go well on Tuesday. He knows Nils would have loved to be there, and a part of him thinks that maybe, if things get serious between them, maybe they could come here together and visit more museums during summer. 

Isak takes his time to admire the canvas and statues, making his way through the exposition like he has all the time in the world. And, really, he kind of does. It’s not like someone is waiting for him at the hotel, or like he promised Nils to call him at a specific time or whatever.

It’s only when he’s in bed, long after his return from the restaurant, that Isak realizes that maybe Nils expected him to call? Isak feels so new to this, it’s like he’s never been in a relationship before. Which, he did. It’s just been a while, he convinces himself. Isak looks at the clock on his phone and realizes it’s probably too late now to call, so he toss the idea to the back of his mind and resumes reading the book he bought in a small bookstore earlier today. 

  
  


***

  
  


Tom is very pleased with Isak and the way he handled almost all of the deal by himself. He’s congratulated him when Isak walked into the break room on Monday morning, followed by Jonas. They talk a few minutes about the trip and the deal Isak just sealed, Tom tapping amicably on his shoulder when he finally leaves to his office.

Isak turns to his friend and pours himself a cup of coffee because he still has almost ten minutes before his shift begins. He feels kind of bad, knowing that his best friend works just as hard as he does, and that Isak seems to be the only one to be in charge of the most important responsibilities. Jonas is a good friend, though, and he understands the situation perfectly. He’s not mad at Isak at all, he’s even really happy for him and impressed too. Isak is showing a few pictures on his phone to Jonas when Eva walks into the room, her heels clicking on the cold tiles. She seems a little bit more tired and less polished than usual, but Isak doesn’t mention it. It’s Monday morning, after all.

“Hi Eva.” Isak greets her.

“Hi Isak! How was your trip?” She asks, pouring herself a large cup of coffee.

“Good, thank you. Did you have a nice week-end?” 

“Ugh.” She groans and puts back the carafe in its place. “Oscar kept me up all night.” 

Jonas clears his throat and shifts on his chair. 

“Is Oscar your boyfriend?” Jonas asks, suddenly more interested in Eva’s week-end than in Isak’s trip.

“Hm?” Eva turns around, takes a sip of her coffee, then seems to process Jonas’ question. “Oh, no. Oscar is my cat. Well, not my cat. He’s my cousin’s cat, but she’s in vacation and I have to take care of him for the week.” 

“Oh.” Jonas breathes in relief, and Isak chokes on his coffee. 

If Isak didn’t already know his best friend has a crush on Eva, his behaviors now makes it very clear. He looks apologetically at his friend and pretends nothing happened. Eva informs them how Oscar was running wild in her apartment, making all sort of things falling to the ground. Eva usually likes cats, but Oscar might be the Devil itself, she thinks. 

Isak wonders if Nils likes cats. 

  
  


***

  
  


On Friday night, Isak is bored. Jonas is busy, Nils is busy, Eskild works, and all of his friends are either with family or on a date. Isak is scrolling through his phone, bored out of his mind, when he come across a meme on Twitter. It’s about the number neighbour thing, and Isak freezes. 

He hovers his thumb over the screen, wondering if he really wants to do this. Isak looks at the time in the top left corner of his screen and comes to the conclusion that it’s not too late in the evening. In fact, the night is still pretty young, he thinks. 

He exits Twitter and opens his messages app, finds the one he’s looking for and types in a message. He rereads it to make sure he didn’t make any typos and sends it before he can change his mind. 

  
  


* * *

**_UNKNOWN NUMBER_ **

_[20:54] “I’m bored. All of my friends have plans except me. Please distract me.”_

* * *

  
  


Isak stares at his screen, dreadful. It takes only a few seconds before the read receipts appears under his message, and Isak thinks he might get a reply. 

But nothing happens. No bubbles with the three little dots. No snarky comment about him being so desperate, no teasing, not even a thumbs up. Just nothing. 

Isak groans to himself, discouraged by his own stupidity. What’d he thought, exactly? He literally just told the person to leave him ‘the fuck’ alone, not even a week ago. Of course, they would let Isak on read and not care if he’s bored or whatever. That’s not their problem, if all of Isak’s friends are busy, or if Isak can’t seem to find anything good on Netflix to kill the time. 

Isak rolls his head back to rest on the back of the couch, fixing the ceiling and feeling like everyone except him is having fun. Isak hates the feeling of being rejected, especially on a Friday night when he should be hanging out with friends and drinking beer at the pub. He could’ve been with Nils at this very moment, but Nils is outside the city for a book event, and Isak isn’t into books that much to follow him across the country. Isak isn’t even sure he’s into Nils that much to follow him across the country. 

The phone buzzes in his hand, making him jump in surprise and almost drop the phone on the floor. He catches it before it falls to the ground, and feels like his heart is about to jump out of his chest when he looks at the screen. He has two new messages from his anonymous pen pal.

  
  


* * *

_**UNKNOWN NUMBER** _

_[21:02] “First of all, I thought you wanted me to leave you alone.”_

_[21:02] “Second of all, what do we do.”_

* * *

  
  



	3. THREE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 
> 
> Secondly, I'm so so so so sooooo sorry for the late update. 
> 
> Long story short; I got busy during the holidays with my job, and like a week after the New Year, my manager dislocated her knee, so I got loaded with work (I still am, but it's fine now, I'm getting used to it), and last week I got the flu and couldn't do much but sleep and (barely) read... 
> 
> So yeah, let me just say this year is starting rough, but it's fine now. I'm back. 
> 
> I hope this chapter will be good enough for you guys. I had some hard times writing it, but hey, sometimes my brain just won't cooperate. ANYWAY. Thank you for your love and support, as always, it's more than appreciated. Every kudos and comments make my heart happy. <3
> 
> (Please don't mind if there are errors, my brain is still a little dumb from the flu.)  
> ((Also, I'm playing around with the display. Do you like it better when the messages are between the lines? Even's messages are on the left, and Isak's on the right.))
> 
> xx

Isak and his number neighbour talk for hours, and Isak still lies on his couch, the Netflix menu on his TV long forgotten and turned to black. It was a bit messy at first, trying to come to an agreement. It’s not like they could see each other in real life and do something, but at least they could talk and just enjoy the feeling of meeting someone new, in the comfort of their living room—or wherever the other man was. Isak learns that his pen pal is two years older than him, but that’s as close to knowing him as he’ll get for now. 

They come to a common agreement that none of them should tell the other important, personal information like their real names, where they live, or where they work, for safety and all. Instead, they decide to give the other a nickname to put in their contact infos—his number neighbour wants to be called Baz, and Isak decides to stand by Grey since he watched _Grey’s Anatomy_ a few weeks ago. It’s short, easy, and represents him well, he thinks. Isak finds himself very comfortable with the situation; that way they can stop referring to the other just as their “number neighbour” and put a (fake) name to it. 

During the few hours they’ve talked, they learn to know about the other through simple questions like what they like to eat, what are their favourite movies, or what studies they did. Isak learns that Baz studied in the United States in cinematography, and that he came back to Oslo only a few months ago since he finished his studies. Isak doesn’t ask him to what high school he went, because he doesn’t want to pry and look like he’s framing the other, though he’s a bit curious as to know if their path ever crossed before. Isak shakes the idea out of his mind; Baz is older than him and Oslo isn’t that small of a city, after all. There is no way their paths would have crossed, or no way to tell it was him even if they did. Isak didn’t know anyone who studied abroad, except for a few friends, but they all stayed in Oslo, not on another continent. 

It’s only a few minutes after midnight that Isak starts to get tired. He had a long day at work, and he’s hoping to see Nils for lunch. He gets up from the couch, turns off the TV, and walks to the bathroom where he pee and brushes his teeth before going to his bedroom. He keeps talking to Baz all the while, and when he’s tucked himself under the covers, he sends him a message to let him know he’s going to bed. 

  
  


* * *

**_BAZ_ **

_[00:14] “I think I should go to bed, I have things to do tomorrow.”_

_[00:14] “Yeah, I should go to bed too. I hope I distracted you enough ;p”_

_[00:15] “Yes, thank you! I didn’t realized it was so late. Time flew by so quickly.”_

_[00:16] “Ah, very pleased to know I didn’t bore you with my questions or answers.”_

_[00:16] “Good night, Grey.”_

_[00:16] “You didn’t. Good night Baz.”_

* * *

  
  


On Saturday, he had a lunch date with Nils and they visited the Museum of Science and Technology in the afternoon, because Isak wanted to impress Nils with his knowledge about science and space. It kind of worked, but not as much as he hoped for. Nils isn’t really a science-nerd guy, Isak realized, and even though it was really interesting and fun to go through the exhibits, he knew that it wasn’t Nils’ thing. Nils tried to be polite and look interested, but Isak just knew. They hugged goodbye at the tram station, and Isak went back to his flat alone. 

He talked to Baz all evening, complaining about his date. 

  
  


***

  
  


On Monday morning, Isak arrives at job before Jonas does, so he pours two cups of coffee and sits down at one of the tables in the break rooms, scrolling through his messages. Baz and him exchanged way more messages than he expected they would during the week-end, and Isak isn’t sure how he feels about it. He thought that things with Nils were going well, but after their date, it was a bit weird and Isak wasn’t sure where they stood now. Parts of him really wanted to keep trying and be happy with him, but a tiny parts of his brain still kept telling him that this wasn’t going to work. And, maybe it was just before Isak hasn’t been in a relationship in so long, maybe he just needed time to adjust to this lifestyle once again, to learn the other even though sometimes things don’t go as planned. 

Eva walks into the room, a bit more joyful than last week, and Jonas follows short after. Isak’s best friend doesn’t seem to notice Eva at first though, because when he lifts his head from his phone, he freezes for a few seconds before breaking from his stupor, running a hand through his hair and finally speaking. 

“Hey Eva!” Jonas cheers. “How was your week-end?” 

Considering Jonas’ massive crush on Eva, Isak isn’t even mad at him for being completely oblivious to Isak’s presence. He just watches him interact with Tom’s secretary with an amused smile on his face. 

“Oh, hi Jonas.” Eva turns around from the coffee machine and smiles politely. “T’was good, and yours?” 

“Good, good.” Jonas says, pouring himself a cup of coffee, completely ignoring Isak’s subtle attempt at waving at him. 

Isak looks up at the ceiling and sighs. Of course Jonas wouldn’t notice him. Whenever Eva was in the same room as them, Jonas’ focus would always be on her. Now Isak is stuck with two fuming cups of coffee in front of him and the sight of his best friend being all smitten by Eva’s story. He gets up and leaves the room, the two cups in his hands; he might as well drink it later, between two patients. 

Later that day, during lunch, Isak’s phone pings with a new message. When he opens it, he expects it to be Nils, asking him out for another date, or even his mom and her Bible quotes, but it’s a message from Baz. Or, more accurately, a meme. The pictures shows a sad baby Yoda, and two messages follow. 

  
  


* * *

**_BAZ_ **

_[12:17] “They forgot to give me sauce for my chicken nuggets.”_

_[12:17] “How am I supposed to eat them if there’s no sauce?”_

* * *

Isak snorts, taken aback by this. He didn’t expect Baz to be so casual, yet again they exchanged a few messages during the weekend. Isak types a reply when Jonas and another employee sit at the table with him. 

“Hi.” Jonas says. “What are you smiling at?” 

“Uh, nothing. Just a meme.” He replies, turning his phone off and putting it facedown on the table. “Hi Mags.” 

Magnus greets him back, holding out his hand for a bro-fist. Isak can’t believe after all these years, Magnus still insists on doing the bro-fist everytime they see each others. Magnus, Jonas and Isak used to all go to the same high school, and Magnus still acts like a teenager sometimes. Isak puts his fist against his blonde friend before returning his attention to his sandwich. If Jonas is staring at him weirdly, he doesn’t notice it. Magnus is already making plans for the weekend, wondering if they should play board games and drink beer at home or go out to the pub. 

Isak thinks of Nils. He knows he likes board games, he saw a few boxes on his shelves the other day. Maybe he could invite him over, present him to his friends. He’s not sure if this is too soon, though, so he doesn’t think about it too much and just listens to whatever plans Magnus talks about, a distracted smile on his face. Jonas insists on inviting Eva, since she’s apparently sad now that Oscar isn’t with her anymore. Isak rolls his eyes, but smiles nonetheless. His best friend seems willing to jump on any opportunity to get closer to his crush, and Isak has to admire his determination. 

When Isak is on the tram going home after work, he sends Nils a message, asking if he’d be interested in meeting up with his friends to play board games and drink beer on Friday night. And, it’s not like he was expecting an instant reply, but he’s a bit disappointed when there’s still no answer when he goes to sleep that night. Maybe it was too soon, maybe Nils didn’t want to meet Isak’s friends yet. Or, maybe Saturday’s date at the museum didn’t go as well as he thought, and Nils is now bored with Isak. Isak thinks too much. Isak is probably overthinking again. He sets his alarm for the next day and shuts the light, trying to fall asleep. 

Not long after midnight, Isak is awakened by a notification on his phone. He must’ve forgotten to turn the sound off before falling asleep. He looks at his screen, squinting at the sudden light, wondering if Nils finally replied. 

It’s not. 

But his lips still stretch into a small smile when he reads the name on the screen. 

  
  


* * *

**_BAZ_ **

_[00:09] “Grey”_

_[00:09] “Are you up?”_

* * *


End file.
